The Glassman Foundation Family Arts Festival

News Release

GLASSMAN FOUNDATION FAMILY ARTS FESTIVAL FEATURES 7 STAGES,
60 PERFORMING ARTS GROUPS, ARTIST & AUDIENCE INTERPLAY

Sunday, January 13, 11am to 5pm

TUCSON, AZ – The Glassman Foundation Family Arts Festival lifts off at 11 a.m. Sunday, January 13 with a Carnivale Parade featuring the Brazilian percussion of Batucaxé and an aerial balloon spectacular with performance innovators Flam Chen.

The eighth annual festival is presented by the Tucson Pima Arts Council in the heart of downtown Tucson – from El Presidio Park to the Tucson Convention Center. This free festival celebrates the creative spirit of artists and audiences alike. This is an opportunity to experience the arts up close and personal. Live the art. Become the art. Recycle the art.

There’s music for every taste – from brass band and choirs to jazz, blues, balalaika and bluegrass to hip hop and hot rock. There’s dance of every style – ballet, clog and country, flamenco and folklorico, plus contemporary, Irish, Swedish, Polish, Czech, Arabian, Chinese and Japanese. There’s also eclectic entertainment – cowboy poets, puppets and Chinese fan and sword martial arts.

Highlights of the 2008 Glassman Foundation Family Arts Festival are:

1. The Flam Chen balloon lift with aerial dancers and martial artists performing above the crowd on giant festive balloons.
2. The R.U.M.B.A. art contest where everything is created from recycled materials. Sponsored by Tucson Clean and Beautiful, R.U.M.B.A. stands for Re-Used Materials Becoming Art.
3. The Experience Project, where artists and audiences connect and create. This includes the Sculpture and Sound Garden, a kinetic experience where the Mat Bevel Institute creates interplay with kinetic sculpture and art-making with the audience. This also includes the Sound Tent, where the audience is invited to engage in workshops with the Sonoran Sound Quartet, Dambe Project and the UA Poetry Center. These workshops are recorded and broadcast into the festival.
4. Artist David Tineo, a master muralist in Tucson, guides children to create an oil-on-canvas festival mural.
5. Art Meets Science features the UA Mars Mission and NASA space artist Robert McCall.
6. Tucson musical favorites – the 17th Street Band and the Battle of the Bands.
7. Faces of the Festival photo booth with images posted online.

Throughout the festival are displays from 50 local non-profit organizations, many offering hands-on interactive arts experiences. The array of food options includes Greek, Mexican, Chinese, roasted corn, pizza, hot dogs, ice cream and gelato.

The Family Arts Festival is a unique opportunity to expose all ages to a quality arts experience that can enrich them for a day – or engage them for a lifetime. This event showcases Tucson as a city of the arts and celebrates its rich multi-cultural roots, including Native American, Hispanic, Asian and European influences.

This is Tucson’s largest downtown festival, founded eight years ago by arts advocates Beth Walkup and Shirley Chann. Festival activities from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. fill the public spaces from the Tucson Convention Center through La Placita Village to El Presidio Park.

The Glassman Foundation Family Arts Festival is presented with support from the entire community. Festival sponsors include the Glassman Foundation, City of Tucson, Arizona Daily Star, Bookmans, Citi, Hotel Arizona, Wells Fargo, 17th Street Market, Tucson Lifestyle, KGUN-9 and KXCI. Partners are the Downtown Tucson Partnership, Pima County and the Tucson Convention Center.

The festival program is posted in advance on the website so families can plan their day.  For program details and other information visit www.FamilyArtsFestival.org or call (520) 624-0595.

Funded by the City of Tucson and Pima County, the Tucson Pima Arts Council fosters artistic expression, education development and the economic growth of this diverse community by supporting, promoting and advocating for arts and culture. Other TPAC projects include the Open Studio Tour, ArtWORKS! Academy and the Lumies, an annual arts awards event. TPAC distributes nearly $500,000 in grants every year to more than 80 arts and cultural organizations throughout Pima County.

En Español... Festival de Arte para la Familia

Fecha: Domingo, 13 de Enero 2008
Hora: 11:00 AM a 5:00 PM
Lugar: En el Corazon de Tucson
Desde el Centro de Convenciones (TCC) por La Placita Village y Sobre el Puente de la Calle Congress hasta El Parque Presidio
Costo: Gratis

PHOTOS AVAILABLE: 
Call 624-0595 x10 or email: info@tucsonpimaartscouncil.org

Contact:
Mia Hansen, Festival Director: (520) 327-2628 or miajhansen@msn.com
Leia Maahs, Community Arts Development Coordinator: (520) 624-0595 x19 or lmaahs@tucsonpimaartscouncil.org